"Is this Gaidar’s own fund? As far as I know, it’s not. Gaidar is a director there, but it can have a different director," Lukin, who also serves as a member of the commission on allocating presidential grants to human rights non-governmental organizations, told TASS.

"A grant is allocated if it is proved that the fund intends to carry out activities that benefit the society, and the grant is allocated precisely for these activities," Lukin stressed adding that the date for the next session of the commission on presidential grants has not been set yet.

Media reported earlier that Russia’s human rights ombudsperson Ella Pamfilova said she would propose depriving Gaidar’s Social Demand fund of receiving the presidential grant. Pamfilova, who also serves as chairperson of commission on allocating grants, added the decision is connected with Gaidar’s new position as Deputy Governor of Ukraine's Odessa region.